-Oh, shit.

[erasing] [flipping page] I was born in America, [clears throat] and although I would forget how to speak it for a while, my first word was in Farsi.

Aab.

Aab means water.

After that, Maman.

Maman means-- [background music] Farsi was my first language.

It was the only language I knew until I started school.

[background music] -Pooya?

[background music] -Because I didn't talk English, nobody wanted to be my friend.

Hello, my name is Pooya.

[dust thrown at him] I tried to learn English.

-Hello neighbor, will you be my friend?

[background music] -Hello, neighbor, will you be my friend?

[dust thrown at him] I didn't want to talk Farsi anymore, and I changed my name.

-Peter.

-My name is Peter.

Peter Parker.

-[Farsi language] -No, it's not Pooya.

No one in school can say Pooya.

-[Farsi language] -When I turned eighteen, I went out of the house to go to college.

[background music] After that, I'd only come home for a day at a time to have a meal.

Maman would always give me leftovers to take with me, but after I met Tiffany, I didn't come home as much.

[background music] My studies were too hard.

Eight years later, Tiffany and I did dragon.

No, Tiffany and I got married.

After that, we moved to Missouri to be close to Tiffany's family.

I would call Maman.

[Farsi language] Just a little slower Maman.

-[Farsi language] -But each time we would talk- -[Farsi language] --we understood each other less and less.

-[Farsi language] -Sorry, just a little slower, mom.

A little slower.

In the year 2017, two things happened that were important.

The first was that Tiffany became pregnant with our son.

The second was that our country was being weird.

The nice people started- -Yes, they do.

You know what they'll make you do?

They will make you wear hijab.

--acting different.

-Oh, you want a burka?

You're going to look like a walking beehive.

-It would be my choice.

-They know.

I'm telling you terrorist sucks.

You believe what you want to, they're a cancer, they're a disease on our society- -That's unbelievable.

--they need to be expunged.

I'm done here.

-Peter, I'm sorry.

He gets upset, but we know your family was probably one of the good ones.

-I didn't want to let my son forget where he came from.

I went to Farsi class.

-[Farsi language] -But in Missouri, it wasn't good.

I watched videos to learn Farsi, but learning it that way was hard.

I realized that if I wanted to learn Farsi, I had to learn it from the person who taught it to me in the first place.

I took a week off work and went home.

We started from the beginning.

I learned the Farsi alphabet.

After that, I learned the writing of some words, like, "Dad gave water."

I also learned some curse words.

-Dog's balls.

Child of a dog.

-I was only there for a week, but I learned a lot, and I ate good food.

The week ended quickly.

Maman gave me leftovers.

I didn't tell her they would take them away from me at the airport.

After that, we wanted to continue our lessons virtually.

That was the last time I saw her.

My Farsi is still not good, but little by little, I'm learning every day.

When my son can talk, I will teach him my language.

[background music]